Kim Kelley ThompsonBlogging Success Blueprint – 5 steps to creating a successful blog
The following 5 ste
ps are key to setting up a successful blog. According to CNET news there’s a new blog created every half second – which means there’s plenty of information circulating out there on the worldwide web, so how can you get your blog noticed? In this blogging success blueprint, we’ll list 5 steps necessary to create a blog that will stand out in the crowded, ever changing, and article laden web world!
1.) Know your target audience – I can’t stress it enough – before you can start a blog you have to get clear – ask yourself – why are you doing a blog? If it’s simply because you’ve heard about people who start a blog and Walla they become rich by writing and sharing some trivial information, I suggest you get back to the drawing board as that type of answer won’t have staying power, at least not for very long.
The best way to build a consistent following is by clearly defining your target audience before you begin. Blogs only generate money if they have followers who want what they have to offer or a large following that will entice companies with a desire to reach your target market purchase ad space on your blog. The amount of money a blog can generate is directly related to it’s followers. That’s it plain and simple. You have to have an audience.
Blogging Success Blueprint – identify your target market
There are several questions you can ask yourself in order to clearly identify your target audience:
- What are you offering?
- Who does it benefit?
- What need are you filling?
- How can it help others?
- How can you appeal to your target audience?
2.) Create content that speaks to your target audience – So, how do you build an audience and get traffic to your blog? By creating content your target audience desires and sharing it through social media, advertising, and promotions – it’s not enough to write a blog and post it – you have to circulate it (read more about blog promotion).
The more you clearly define and narrow down your target market, the easier it will be to know what that audience is searching for and easier to create content that talks to them.
Let’s take a look at an example – Here’s a site with targeted blog content:
What it offers: Destination information catering to a niche market in the incentive travel industry
Who it benefits: Companies and meeting planners looking for a destination and venues that would be ideal for their incentive travel programs
What need it fills: The guide states that it is a compilation of destination details specifically for incentive travel groups
How it can help others: The content is written to appeal to an audience searching for suggestions for their incentive travel programs.
How it appeals to its target audience: The guide has defined a specific area and shares information about that area as it pertains to incentive travel programs.
Content is written on the site to entice readers to learn about the destination and pick up the guide with complete destination details for incentive travel.
3.) Create consistent, fresh, relevant content – Even though you know your target audience coming up with creative new ideas to write about is almost impossible. But you can consistently develop relevant content with a fresh approach. One of the best ways to get your blog noticed is to incorporate your own voice and style and knowledge into your blog and to make it easy to comprehend. Blogs that are overloaded with heavy verbiage and repetitive points will quickly lose an audience. Keep it simple, clear, concise.
Blogging Success Blueprint – create an interactive online community
4.) Share information that is not easily available – Anotherimportant strategy for creating and publishing a successful blog is to develop content specific to your market that isn’t readily available on the web. One of the easiest ways to do this is through interviews. Are there any experts you can interview that would appeal to your audience? Are there any ideas you can share that would benefit your ideal market? Publishing timely facts, interviews, or new research can be a great way to increase your readership. The more innovative your content and the more you write specifically to your target market, the easier it will be to build a following. By adding your own perspective or weaving your expertise into the content and opening it up for comments you can create an engaging, interactive blog. A large part of any blogging success blueprint is to develop your develop your blog into an interactive online community. Encourage your audience to post feedback and comments, interact with each other, share their ideas, and enhance your content by adding their own information.
5.) Post content consistently – With so many blogs launching daily – it’s important to add new content on a consistent basis. Each topic should stay in line with your target audience, add value and build upon previous content. It’s called layering and it’s the magnet that will bring people back for more. Always be on the lookout for additional ways to build on your existing blog entries. Set a schedule that you know you can maintain. Ideally you should be posting at least once per week. Initially though, if you are relaying on posting and sharing through non-paid sources to reach your audience you’ll want to post much more frequently. Regardless of the schedule you set – it’s better to remain consistent and keep the continuity.
A blog plays an important role in the success of any business online or off. Nearly every business has a web presence of some sort. The blog content is the marketing arm of the site. Through targeted content and promotion your blog has the ability to act like an army of salespeople heading out to the field to share your information. Take the time to do it correctly – implement the five steps in this blogging success blueprint and you’ll soon build a strong following and an effective blog.
Have a question you’d like answered? Send to: support@kimkelleythompson.com
